Gaming Guru

Single-Deck Basic Strategy

Those whose casino memories stretch back far enough may recall a time
when the standard "Las Vegas Strip" blackjack game was dealt from a
single deck of cards, with the dealer standing on all 17s.

That started to change in the 1960s as operators grew ever more fearful
of card counters, and today most casino blackjack games use multiple
decks.

That affects all players, not just card counters. That once-standard
Strip game is just about a dead heat for basic strategy players, with a
0.001 percent edge to the player. But going from one deck to two gives
the house a 0.34 percent edge, and the house edge increases with every
deck added, to 0.55 percent with six decks and 0.57 percent with eight
decks.

The house can give back a little of the edge with positive rules, or
take even more with negative ones, but given otherwise equal rules, the
house edge is lower with fewer decks.

Why? Because the effect on the composition of the remaining deck of
removing cards through play is greatest when a single deck is used.

Let's say we're dealt a 5 and a 6, and the dealer's up card is an Ace.
In a single-deck game, 16 of the other 49 cards in the deck are 10-value
cards, giving us a 32.7 percent chance of drawing a 10 value on our next
card for a 21. But in a six-deck game, where 96 of the remaining 309
cards are 10 values, our chances of drawing a 10 value are only 31.1
percent.

That makes it a more favorable play to double down on 11 vs. a dealer's
Ace in a single-deck game than when multiple decks are used. And that
forces a change in basic strategy: In multiple-deck games, we double
down on 11 when the dealer shows anything but an Ace. In single-deck
games, we double against the Ace, too.

To get the most out of the single-deck game, we make a number of little
strategy changes from basic strategy for multiple-deck games:

Single-deck variations for hard totals

Double down on 11 against all dealer up cards, instead of just
doubling against 2 through 10.

Double down on 9 against 2 through 6 instead of 3 through 6.

Double down on 8 against 5 or 6 instead of just hitting against all up
cards.

Single-deck variations for soft totals

With Ace-8, double down against 6 instead of just standing against all
up cards.

With Ace-7, stand against a dealer's Ace if the dealer stands on all
17s. If the dealer hits soft 17, or in multiple-deck games, hit soft
18 vs. an Ace.

With Ace-6, double down against 2 through 6, instead of just doubling
against 3 through 6 as we do in multiple-deck games.

With Ace-3 or Ace-2, double down against 4, 5 or 6 instead of just
against 5 and 6, as in the multiple-deck game.

Single-deck variations for splitting pairs

With 2-2, if doubling after splits is permitted, split against 2
through 7 regardless of the number of decks. If not, split against 3
through 7 in single-deck blackjack, but only 4 through 7 in
multiple-deck.

With 3-3, if doubling after splits is permitted, split against 2
through 8 in single-deck, 2-7 in multiple-deck. If doubling after
splits is not allowed, just split against 4-7 regardless of the number
of decks.

With 4-4, never split if doubling after splits is not permitted. If it
is, split against 4, 5, or 6 in single-deck blackjack, but just 5 or 6
in multiple-deck.

With 6-6, if doubling after splits is permitted, split against 2
through 7 in single-deck blackjack, but just 2-6 with multiple decks.
If you can't double after splits, split against 2 through 6 with one
deck, 3 through 6 with multiple decks.

With 7-7, if doubling after splits is permitted, split against 2
through 8 with one deck, 2 through 7 with multiple decks. Split
against 2 through 7 in all games if doubling after splits is not
permitted. Also, hit 7-7 against a 10 in multiple-deck games, but
stand in single-deck blackjack.

This article is provided by the Frank Scoblete Network. Melissa A. Kaplan is the network's managing editor. If you would like to use this article on your website, please contact Casino City Press, the exclusive web syndication outlet for the Frank Scoblete Network. To contact Frank, please e-mail him at fscobe@optonline.net.

John Grochowski is the best-selling author of The Craps Answer Book, The Slot Machine Answer Book and The Video Poker Answer Book. His weekly column is syndicated to newspapers and Web sites, and he contributes to many of the major magazines and newspapers in the gaming field, including Midwest Gaming and Travel, Slot Manager, Casino Journal, Strictly Slots and Casino Player.

Listen to John Grochowski's "Casino Answer Man" tips Tuesday through Friday at 5:18 p.m. on WLS-AM (890) in Chicago. Look for John Grochowski on Facebook and Twitter @GrochowskiJ.

John Grochowski Websites:

Books by John Grochowski:

John Grochowski is the best-selling author of The Craps Answer Book, The Slot Machine Answer Book and The Video Poker Answer Book. His weekly column is syndicated to newspapers and Web sites, and he contributes to many of the major magazines and newspapers in the gaming field, including Midwest Gaming and Travel, Slot Manager, Casino Journal, Strictly Slots and Casino Player.

Listen to John Grochowski's "Casino Answer Man" tips Tuesday through Friday at 5:18 p.m. on WLS-AM (890) in Chicago. Look for John Grochowski on Facebook and Twitter @GrochowskiJ.

Books by John Grochowski:

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